Upholstery panel



L L E H C W M S.

UPHOLSTERY PANEL originl Filed July lo, 1935 w/////////\/ /V 6^ Q .MW

yPatented Mar. 2, 1937 UPHOLSTERY PANEL Allister S. Mitchell, Detroit, Mich., assigner to National Automotive Fibres, Inc.,

Detroit.

Mich., a. corporation of Delaware Original application July 10, 1935, Serial No. 30,757. Divided and this application October 5, 1935. Serial No. 43,775

4 Claims.

The present invention pertains to upholsterypanels for the interior trim of automobile bodies. Such panels are commonly known as trim-panels.

The present application is a division of my ap- 5 plication, Ser. No. 30,757, filed July 10, 1935.

The improved upholstery panel can be manufactured economically by the method and apparatus described and claimed in the above-mentioned application. It is one of-the advantages of the improved trim-panel that it lends itself to production on a large scale in a highly economical manner. A further advantage is that the improved trim-panel has the padding material and the cover-fabric evenly aplied to the panelboard, without the necessity of adhesively joining the cover-fabric to the sheet of padding material which intervenes between said cover-fabric and the panel-board. Thus, the upholstery presents a soft, even appearance, but nevertheless is thoroughly durable.

In accordance with a preferred process of manufacturing the improved upholstery-panels, panelplates having a surface sprayed or coated with adhesive, are fed in succession through suitable apparatus, together with a continuous strip oi cotton batting which becomes adhesiveiy joined to the successive foundation-plates; and suction- Ineans with which the apparatus is provided serves to draw the cotton downwardly through the openings in the plates and through the spaces between or surrounding the plates and trimmers with which the apparatus is equipped serve to trim off the cotton which is thus drawn down- -wardly about the edges of the plates.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 represents a plan `View of a panel-board, which may be of any desired conguration; Fig. 2, a sectional view of the panel-board after a layer of cotton batting, for example, has been adhesvely applied to the board and the cotton drawn downwardly about the edges of the board and trimmed, the section being taken as indicated at line 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a similar section, after the cover-fabric has been applied, this view showing also the manner in which a trim-panel commonly is applied to a frame member of an automobile body; and Fig. 4, a longitudinal sectional view of apparatus, illustrating the manner in which the panel-'boards may be covered with padding-sheets, such as sheets of cotton-batting.

In the illustration given, A designates a panelboard; B, a padding-sheet adhesively joined to said board; C, a panel-cover consisting of any desired finish-fabric, between which panel-cover and the panel-board is interposed the padding- Referring to Fig. 4, the preferred method of covering the suitably spaced panel-boards, in succession, with adhesively joined layers of cotton 5 batting, or the like, is there illustrated. D designates the bed of a machine in which is mounted a suction box D which communicates at its bottom with a suction pipe D2.

The bed of the machine is equipped at the level 1o of the top of the suction box with transverse plates D3, over which may be fed a continuous sheet of batting B and a series of panel-boards A adhesively joined to the lower surface of the batting. 15

The bed is equipped with a series of pairs ot feed-rolls E, E and E2. Above the path of the material, the bed is further equipped with feedrolls E3 and E4. All of the rolls mentioned are geared to operate at the same speed.

Beneath the path of travel of the cotton batting and the attached panel-boards are trimming-rolls F and F' which project into transverse spaces G and G located between the transverse bed-plates D3. The trimming-rolls are operated 25 at high speed, that is, at far greater speed than the feed-rolls. The trimming-rolls are equipped with wire bristles which incline rearwardly, that is, away from the direction of rotation.

A conveyor belt il serves to feed the cotton 30 batting and series of panel-boards forwardly to the feed-rolls. The upper surfaces of the panelboards may be supplied with a suitable adhesive, and the cotton batting may be taken from a suitable roll (not shown) and brought into engage- 35 ment with the successive coated panels and caused, by suitable pressure, to adhere thereto, whereupon the panel boards will travel forwardly with the cotton batting as it is fed through the machine. The panel-boards, covered with bats 40 as shown in Fig. 2, are delivered to a conveyor I, and then are in condition for having the panelcover C applied.

As the cotton sheet B and the attached panelboards are fed over the suction box D. the suction 45 applied through the conduit D2 serves to rupture the cotton and draw it downwardly about the edges of the panel-boards, in succession. The panel-board is shown provided with openings or perforations i and 2; and it will be understood 50 trimming-roll F removes some of the cotton which is drawn downwardly about the lateral edges of the panel-boards and also trims the cotton against the rearwardly presented edges of 5 the boards and the openings therein. The trimming-roll F completes the trimming action at the lateral edges of the boards and also exerts a trimming action against the forwardly presented edges of the boards, including the forwardly presented edge portions of the openings in the boards.

Fig. 4 shows brokenly a cotton-covered panel on the discharge conveyor I. Then follows a panel which terminates just above the right hand support Dl. Spaced from this is another panelboard whose rear end is shown brokenly.` The cotton has been ruptured and trimmed at" the perforation near the front end of the intermediate panel, but the cotton extending across the space between the rear end of the intermediate panel and the advance end of the third panel has not yet reached the suction zone at the trimmerroll F.

Due to the suction action and the cooperating trimming action, portions of the cotton are reflected over the .edges of the boards, as indicated at I.

In Figs. 2 and 3, it is to be understood that adhesive is applied at the plane l between the batting and the panel-board.

After the panel-boards have been covered with a layer of padding material and the edges trimmed, the panel-covers C may be applied in any suitable manner. 'I'he margins of the panelcover are folded about the bat-covered panelboards and adhesively joined to the rear surfaces of the panel-boards, as indicated at 5. An economical method of performing this operation, is disclosed in my application, Serial No. 11,527, 0 filed March 16, 1935. In that method, suction is employed to fold the margins of the panelcover about the edge-portions of the padded panel-board and suitable pressure is applied to cause the margin of the panel-cover to adhere to the coated margin of the panel-board.

Perforations through the panel-board are commonly provided to facilitate the installation of door locks, window-operating devices, etc. The fabric C may be pierced where these openings through the panel occur.

It is usual to equip trim-panels with snap-fasteners. In Fig. 3, 6 designates a snap-fastener connected with the trim-panel, the fastener having resilient prongs 6l which extend through a lperforation in a frame-member 1 of the automobile body. 'Ihe panel-board may be equipped with any desired number of fasteners.

The improved upholstery-panel may be manufactured at very low cost, presents a very pleasing appearance, and is durable in character. Where it is desired to provide the panel-cover C with seams, or lines of stitching, corresponding with those on the cushions of the automobile, such seams or lines of stitching may be formed in the panel-cover before it is applied to the padded panel-board.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom.

What I regard as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. For use in an upholstery-panel, a panelboard having a perforation therein, and a layer of batting cemented to a surface of said panelboard and having portions forming padding for the walls of said opening and edges of said panelboard.

2. An upholstery-panel comprising a panelboard having an opening therethrough, a layer of batting adhesively joined to one side of said board and having portions reflected over the edges of said opening and about edges of said board, and a cover-fabric over but unattached to said batting having margins folded about the padded edges of said board and cemented to the rear surface of the board.

3. An upholstery-panel comprising a panelplate, a layer of batting cemented upon said plate and having 'fibres refiected over edges of said plate, and a cover-fabric freely overlying the batting and having its marginal portions folded about the padded edges of said plate and cemented to the rear surface of said plate.

4. An article of manufacture comprising a sheet of batting, such as cotton batting, and a series of spaced panel-boards adhesively joined to one side of the batting.

ALLISTER S. MITCHELL. 

